Claire Elise Williams, Connor French, Matthew Fairman, and Meg Schenk star in the series. Photo by Clay Davenport
With 80s era hits such as Stranger Things and Sing Street winning praise from critics and fans alike, it is no surprise that the University of Oregon’s television network, Duck TV, picked up and produced PRIMO, an 80s feel-good miniseries following four aspiring yuppies through a night on the town.
It’s a trip back to a time of Saturday Matinees and large groups of kids in the back of Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser station wagons for Gen X-ers who remember when Television Stars made movies – long before the time of Movie Stars making television. For those of us who made those journeys – The Apple Dumpling Gang was right up there with Cannonball Run, Smokey and the Bandit and, even, It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. If you don’t remember it, maybe it’s time to check out the comic abilities of two icons: Don Knotts and Tim Conway, two bonafide TV Stars who took a trip into the Deschutes National Forest and came out with what can only be called an Apple Dumpling Franchise…with cheese. Continue reading... “RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARCHIVE: The Apple Dumpling Gang (Norman Tokar, 1975)”
Oregon doubles for Alaska in this week’s RotLA edition and it brings some (early) Batman-esque Romp! Danger! and Romance! to the fore in the process. Yes, Adam West is this week’s featured artist in a Deschutes National Forest set feature which predates Mr. West’s glorious days as the first caped crusader to appear on our screens and sends him into the woods to find unexpected love with a Nature Child and danger from rogue hunters in the form of Petticoat Junction’s Lori Sanders and Theo Marcuse, respectively. Continue reading... “RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARCHIVE: Mara of the Wilderness (Frank McDonald, 1966)”
This week we shift gears in the RotLA world and it takes us down a path that isn’t necessarily #OregonMade, as we would always prefer, but #OregonSET. There’s many a great project that is set here in Oregon but has not brought itself to actually produce its content in this great state – Springfield-set The Simpsons comes to mind but the much-anticipated I, Tonya also rounds out that particular out-of-state-produced-but-set-in-Oregon pack. Raider/Contributor Phil Oppenheim makes the compelling argument that even those projects that do not exist as so-called brick-and-mortar operations here in Oregon, have a lasting impact on our state (and read to the very end for some great connected places to visit here in Oregon). Continue reading... “RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARCHIVE: Gravity Falls (2012-2013, 2014-2016)”
After a shortened week last week RotLA returns today with the final installment of its Noirvember sub-series. This time, it’s a moody and realistic dive into Portland’s not-too-distant but oh-so-different past featuring understated performances, quietly iconic locations and an it-sneaks-up-on-you tension – passing by not only RotLA’s humble narrator’s own Hollywood neighborhood but also The (great) Laurelhurst Theatre in the process finally culminating under the Morrison Bridge outside (where else?) City Liquidators.
One of the great things to celebrate about Oregon’s film history is its direct connection to Indie Directorial Voices and how they have influenced the mood, style and substance of many of the nation’s great cinematic trends; James Blue, James Ivory, Gus Van Zant, a transplanted Alex Cox and many of those highlighted by our Raider/Contributor in past posts – not to mention the pioneering animators and illustrators who literally changed the face of both commercial and experimental animation on all levels. Continue reading... “RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARCHIVE: Cold Weather (Aaron Katz, 2010)”
Wonderwritten is an Independent Film slated for production spring of 2018 in Scotland. Join Oregon based creators in telling a uniquely compelling story of the human experience set in the stunning Scottish Highlands.
In a rare and emotional screenplay, the story of Alan Ainsley, a Scotland based writer, follows a series of five days in a week of his life. Driven by Alan’s internal narrative of letter-like writings and inspiring compelling curiosities about his patterns of behavior, Wonderwritten reveals an unexpected expression of humanity. Continue reading... “Oregon Filmmakers Launch Kickstarter For Scotland Based Film”
This week, continuing in the Noirvember theme, our world takes on a distinctly darker tone and embraces illegal pinball machines the corrupted Portland that found its way into hearing rooms in D.C. before the likes of J. Edgar Hoover and Bobby Kennedy (under the aegis of the McClellan Committee). This is decades before The Polybius Conspiracy took hold of the local gaming world and with much more visceral and evil intents. Raider/Contributor Phil Oppenheim takes us behind the dark and dirty veil of Portland Exposé. Continue reading... “RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARCHIVE: Portland Exposé (Harold Schuster, 1957)”
As the story goes – Gov. McCall appointed Warren Merrill, Oregon Film’s first director, in 1968 specifically to ensure that the permitting and transportation process for the Paramount feature shooting in Baker County went as smoothly as possible. This means as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the production of the film, we also celebrate 50 years of the Oregon Film Office. Continue reading... ““Paint Your Wagon” and Its Place in Oregon’s Cinematic History”
Earlier this year KAOH‘s Doug Kenck-Crispen came to us and said “we need to do something on ‘Paint Your Wagon’,” and we said “heck ya, Pardner!” Then, in August and October we made separate trips out over rough roads into the wilds of the Eagle Cap Wilderness to find what remains of the shooting location for the 1968 production which built not one but two No Name cities. KAOH went even deeper, camping on site, digging into the location remnants, the people, the history, the stories and the amazing scenery about 30 miles outside of Baker City and the result is this podcast and the upcoming screening of “Paint Your Wagon” at the Hollywood Theatre on November 16 with all proceeds going to the Baker Heritage Museum who have a great PYW exhibit all of their own in Baker City. Continue reading... “Kickass Oregon History Takes on “Paint Your Wagon” Turning 50”
This week our intrepid Raider moves us into Noirvember and coins another term for calendar-based genre. Thi
s time we embrace true micro-budget filmmaking and the creative genius of necessity coming out of Eugene. Oregon’s cinematic history is long but its Eugene chapter is deep and varied – Five Easy Pieces, Animal House and, with the Kesey Connection, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Sometimes a Great Notion happening not too far afield.
